MOBA Proud

With the opening rounds of the PDL Playoffs concluded, all that remains is for the final four teams to face off for the championship. The season has been long, and once again, Peachtree City MOBA find themselves on the outside looking in. While the 2017 campaign did not go as planned, year two did hold a long list of positives for the seasons to come. During the offseason, MOBA made a number of big acquisitions, including Jamaican internationals goalkeeper Nick Nelson and midfielder Khallil Stewart, Trinidad and Tobago international midfielder Matthew Wooling, University of Dayton standout defender Michael Brezovsky, and former Memphis City talent Santiago Moore. Alongside returning players like Todd Fidler, Adam Sheikali, and Salomon Lorenzano, the 2017 roster seemed well set to make a run, and hopes were high throughout the pre-season as MOBA walked through their three match schedule. Securing a home and away win against Georgia Revolution FC and another home victory...

Every year, at the conclusion of the PDL regular season, one member of the Peachtree City MOBA roster is selected as the recipient of the #MOBAProud Man of the Year Award. An award given not just based on a player's on the field accomplishments, but his off the field contributions as well. A player who has a spectacular season statistically while also showing a great pride to be a member of Peachtree City MOBA is a prime candidate for the award. The 2017 award, however, held special meaning, as unlike last year's winner, this year's winner was selected by the fans, and the fans made their voices heard. Michael Brezovsky - 2017 #MOBAProud Man of the Year Arguably the most notable offseason acquisition, Michael Brezovsky out of Dayton University via Plano, Texas, brought something special to the table: experience. Already with three years of division one soccer under his belt with the Flyers, Brezovsky has seen his role at Dayton increase significantly since his fres...

Well, at long last, the book is closed. Fourteen matches, 1,260 minutes, and the 2017 PDL season has come to its conclusion. Though it may not have gone to plan for MOBA, there are a number of positives to be taken from a season full of negatives, and even though MOBA did not finish where they had hoped, one cannot help but to have high hopes for the coming seasons. Playing SC United Bantams for the fifth time in two years, MOBA have never gotten a result against their South Carolina rivals, and they had hoped that a home finale would bode well for the yellow and black. Missing key pieces such as Adam Sheikali, Todd Fidler, and Daniel Valenciano, the ninety minutes to come were not going to be easy, but they had nothing to lose. Things got off to an abysmal start, however, as MOBA's Cris Araya went down with a leg injury in the opening minute of play. Immediately after the sub off, MOBA's Jairo Ruiz failed to clear the ball away from the MOBA net in the fourth minu...

Two and a half months, thirteen matches, and we are finally at the conclusion. While the season may not have gone quite as Peachtree City had hoped, MOBA can still finish on a high note and equal last season's record with a win on Saturday. The task will not be an easy one, but this MOBA side is motivated to give the fans something positive going into the offseason. Following a 3-9-2 season last year that featured just one home win, MOBA were expecting to get themselves into the title conversation in their second year. With only a handful of players returning and a bunch of new talent, the season held a lot of promise, and that promise escalated after the three-match pre-season in which MOBA won all three matches over their NPSL neighbors Georgia Revolution FC and fifth-division side East Point Pumas by an aggregate score of 14-3. The season immediately took a turn for the worst, however, as MOBA got run out of Nashville in the season opener by a score of 6-1. That...

Sometimes in sports, things just do not go your way. Whether it be a stretch of minutes or a whole game, Lady Luck may look upon you unfavorably, and that appears to be exactly what happened to MOBA in Saturday's Clasico rematch. After being routed by Tormenta 6-3 on Monday, MOBA looked for revenge against their in-state rivals who were still fighting for a playoff spot, but that never seemed to come to fruition. As the first half started, things looked great for MOBA, as the defense played outstanding in the opening half hour. Headed by Michael Brezovsky and James Thomas, MOBA's back four did an excellent job keeping Tormenta off the ball and away from the goal. The offense seemed to be struggling a bit to get things going, but the score sat even, so it was not a glaring issue. That is, until Jad Arslan made his name known again. In the thirty-seventh minute, Michael Brezovsky, who had played excellent up to this point, tried to play the ball up field, but it was inter...

There is nothing better in sports than a rivalry. Two sides that hate each other more than a cat hates water going head-to-head in search of supremacy over the other is sure to bring some outstanding matchups, and the Georgia PDL Clasico has proven no different. After two years and four matches, the series between Peachtree City and South Georgia is deadlocked at 1-2-1, with Saturday's matchup having the potential to put one side on top going into the 2018 season. Thus far in the series, all four matches have been absolute classics, as the final decision came right to the final minutes. In the first matchup back in June of 2016, it was MOBA who drew first blood, as Iain Smith scored the match's lone goal and MOBA won 1-0. A month later, the two sides met for the first time in Peachtree City in one of the most exciting matches in MOBA history. After MOBA went into the break up a goal thanks to Nick Spielman's header, Jeremy Rector and Todd Fidler, who was making his M...

Peachtree City MOBA's 2017 PDL season has been below par to say the least. After a three-match pre-season that included three victories by an aggregate score of 14-3, expectations were sky high for Peachtree City, but results have been rock bottom. Sitting at 2-8-2 with two matches remaining (both at home), it will be up to the MOBA faithful to pull out all the stops to get two last victories to surpass last season's record and finish off the bottom of the table. Despite the poor results, there have been a number of players who have had solid to great seasons for MOBA, and with the year drawing to a close, it is now time to open voting for the 2017 #MOBAProud Man of the Year Award. An award chosen by the fans, the Man of the Year award denotes the top member of the MOBA club, not just in tangible stats, but also in the way the player showed pride playing for Peachtree City, and how that play brought success (however minimal) to his club. The ten nominees for the 2017 #MOBAProu...

A season can go however it wishes. Teams can be good, and teams can be bad. Teams can score every game, and teams can struggle to score at all. No matter how a year goes, rivalry matches are a whole different monster. Take records, statistics, game film, and throw it all out the window, because a rivalry isn't played by any usual means, and the 4th Georgia PDL Clasico proved no different. Just like on Saturday, the opening few minutes of the match could not have gone any worse for MOBA. After Tormenta midfielder Nick Wells won the ball from both Salomon Lorenzano and Daniel Olaniran, Wells took a run and played an expert ball up the field toward Jad Arslan. Arslan, who had not scored all season, touched the ball past goalkeeper Luke Oesterle, found himself in open space, and chipped the ball into the empty net, putting Tormenta up 1-0 in the fourth minute. Twelve matches, fifteen first half goals for opposing teams against Peachtree City, and only one time have MOBA been a...

Let's just put the first half of the season behind us. Looking at the second half by itself, MOBA have been on a roll through their last four, going 2-1-1 overall, including their first ever two-match unbeaten streak in team history. With victories on the road against Nashville SC and at home against Tri-Cities, as well as a draw on Saturday in Mississippi, MOBA find themselves in an excellent place, finally pulling off the bottom of the table, and hopefully it will stick. The road won't be easy, but MOBA are fueled up and ready to compete. Courtesy: South Georgia Tormenta FC Heading into Clinton, Mississippi following a dramatic 2-1 home victory against Tri-Cities, MOBA knew they could get a result, but it would take the effort of the full roster to pull it out. Playing with just sixteen available men (one of which was head coach Omar Jarun, who was not expected to actually play), the starting lineup against Brilla was packed full of players who had not played much th...

Any chance the Avenue has room for a statue of Todd Fidler? Going into Saturday's matchup with Mississippi Brilla FC, MOBA found themselves on a high after winning two of their last three matches in dramatic fashion. Goals were finally beginning to come for the MOBA offense, and the defense was doing just enough to keep the opposition at bay. Facing a Brilla team that average 0.78 goals allowed per game would, however, be a tough draw for any team, but MOBA had the confidence they needed to get a result. Following an hour long weather delay, the match could not have started off any worse for MOBA, as Andre DeGiorgi put the home side up almost immediately with a brilliant goal in the opening five minutes. Things calmed down offensively afterwards, but Brilla were still dominating possession and chances in the early going. Any opportunities that MOBA found themselves with were broken up, and all the pressure was on the defense to keep things within arms reach. MOBA's firs...